The Girlfriend Act
by Andreya Halms
Summary: To protect Ran, Shinichi needs a girlfriend, and fast. The perfect solution. But when unwanted variables are thrown into the equation; namely a certain beautiful biochemist, an exchange student and EXTREMELY conflicting feelings, what's a detective to do?
1. Failure

**Hi! This is my second Detective Conan fanfic. I had this idea for a long time(2 years) and decided to finally type it down. I only have one request for you people- PLEASE REVIEW! All kinds of ideas, thoughts, suggestions or criticisms are welcome.**

**

* * *

The Girlfriend Act**

**1. Failure**

Haibara took in a deep breath. 'I am sorry.'

'Huh?' Conan dribbled his soccer ball past an imaginary opponent and scored an imaginary goal.

School was over for the day and the Detective Boys had decided to play hide-and-seek in the park. The two shrunken teenagers had declined, saying they would rather stand and watch.

'I said I am sorry.'

'It isn't every day the great Ai Haibara apologizes, and that too for some unknown reason-'

'I have given up, Kudo.'

Something in Haibara's tone made him pause. 'Given up on what?'

'Conan-kun! Ai-chan! Let's go home!' Ayumi said.

'Hai.' Haibara called. They started walking towards the children.

'So, what did you give up on?' Conan asked.

Haibara shook her head. 'Meet me at your place tonight.'

* * *

It was two weeks after the fall of the organization. Most of the members had been arrested. Some, like Gin, had gone down fighting, while others, like Vermouth, had escaped because of their influence. It had been the ultimate victory for the FBI, CIA, Interpol, Shinichi Kudo, Heiji Hattori, Kaito Kid and others.

But, this war too wasn't without casualties. Professor Hakase Agasa's death due to the bomb in his house was what had given Shinichi the last spurt of speed to take down the Black Organization once and for all. Luckily, Haibara hadn't been around when the bomb detonated, and she had taken to living in the Kudo's home.

It was here that Conan stared at shock at the two white and red pills in Haibara's palm as his brain tried to digest the fact that it was seeing what it thought it was seeing.

'You look like a goldfish with your mouth hanging open.' Haibara observed.

'H-Haibara…Is that the…'

'Antidote to Apotoxin 4869? Yes.'

The shock in Conan's face morphed into pure joy. 'I could have hugged you had you not probably slapped the living daylights out of me!'

Conan waited for a witty and sarcastic repartee, but none came. Instead, Haibara smiled sadly.

'Don't get your hopes up high, Kudo. Hear me out first. It is an antidote, yes. But permanent? No.'

Conan felt his world shatter. 'What? It is a joke, right? One of your sadistic jokes, like that time in the hospital when you were pointing a gun at me, right?'

'No.'

'You can't say no.' He was almost hysterical.

Haibara looked into his eyes. 'I apologise.' She said indifferently.

He lost his cool and grabbed the diminutive scientist by her shoulders. 'What do you mean you apologize? You just can't do this to me! It's your responsibility- your creation got me into this mess, and so YOU should get me out of this. You gave me false hopes… and now… it would have been better for everybody if you'd never even come here. Professor Agasa wouldn't have died! That's right; it would have been much more convenient if _**YOU**_ would have been killed in that gas chamber. Do me a favour and just GET OUT OF MY LIFE!'

Haibara stiffened in his grasp.

There was silence. A stray dog barked somewhere outside.

Then, what he'd said just sunk in and he calmed down.

'Haibara… I didn't mean what I said.' He looked down.

Thankfully Haibara relaxed.

'I am sorry.' Conan offered.

Haibara brushed off Conan's hands off her shoulders.

'Don't be.' She said curtly. 'What you say is true.'

'I never-'

'Anyway,' she held up the pills she had shown, 'even though I cannot make the antidote, I did come up with this prototype. They are similar to the 24 hour pills, except that their effect is much longer. Six months.'

'Exactly six?'

'Give or take a few weeks. If you take the pills now, Shinichi Kudo can return back and carry on with his life, before mysteriously disappearing. I'm sure your parents can fake something like that, once you explain the situation to them.'

Six months only. Conan ground his teeth in frustration. He wanted to return back to Ran and confess about his feelings for her. He wanted to tell her how much he loved her and that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. But as Shinichi, not Conan. He _could_ explain the situation to her and tell her the truth about himself.

_But I don't know if she will understand me. She will hate me all the more for deceiving her all this while._

He was cornered now. The only way out was taking Haibara's suggestion. But then, if he suddenly waltzed in and popped out, Ran would cry her heart out.

Oh, how he hated it when she did that.

He would hurt her all over again.

_Unless…_

The beginnings of what seemed as a plan formulated in his mind. However, if it were to succeed, he needed Haibara's cooperation.

'Haibara, let's say I agree with what you say. But what will you do? Will I ever meet Shiho Miyano?'

Haibara smirked. 'Of course. You do not expect me to remain in this body while you go around enjoying life, do you?'

Conan's stomach answered before his mouth could. He glanced at his watch.

'Man! Look at the time! No wonder I'm so hungry.'

Haibara turned and headed towards her room. 'Lock the door from outside after leaving.'

'Well, it is getting late. I'll spend the night here.'

**

* * *

Review for continuation.**

**Any sort is welcome.**

**If you can, please go through my other ShinShiho fic, What Happens In Roppongi.**


	2. Meeting

**Thanx to all my absolutely rocking reviewers. I know that the story may be a bit stupid in the beginning, but I assure you that things will pick up by the 3****rd****/4****th**** chappie. Please read What Happens In Roppongi. That's my best ShinShiho Fanfic, according to me.**

**

* * *

The Girlfriend Act**

**2. Meeting**

* * *

'_Conan-kun! Boys should not spend the night in a house where a lone girl is staying.'_

Conan smiled. As if he would attempt anything on Haibara, or anyone else for the matter.

'But why, Ran-neechan? Haibara-chan said that she was felling scared in this empty house, and I offered to stay here.'

'_Should I come over? Hello? Hello? Conan-kun, are you there?'_

Conan fumbled around with the receiver which he had dropped.

'No, its fine. I need to go now. Goodnight.'

'_Sweet dreams to you.'_

Conan terminated the line. The real reason he'd stayed back was because of the look Haibara had on her face before turning away. He'd seen the look before- on the face of a murderer, who had committed suicide by throwing herself off a hotel roof right in front of him.

He heard a thud coming from Haibara's room.

NO!

He ran to Haibara's room, but slowed down as he neared the door. It was slightly ajar and he could hear heavy breathing from inside.

Conan looked in through the gap. Haibara was on all fours on the floor. Tears flowed freely from her cheeks and body shuddered as she tried to hold in her sobs. She was clutching a photo frame close to her chest.

'I shouldn't be alive.' she whispered. 'I want to return to you, neechan.'

_I shouldn't have said those things to her. _Conan thought. She looked so fragile, like glass that might crack any moment. He had seen this side of Haibara only once before, and like this time, he was also responsible for her tears earlier. He clenched his hand. And like that time, it was better if he stayed silent and watched, comforting her from the shadows. He sat down on the ground, listening to her ragged breathing, until sleep claimed him.

* * *

Next morning

Haibara stepped out lightly from her room and paused.

'That's funny. There wasn't a mat here before…Oh. It's your face.'

* * *

Few days later.

'Goodbye, Conan-kun!' Ran said enthusiastically at the leaving car. Beneath her huge smile, she felt a pang of sadness. Her little brother was leaving her, just like the other man in her life.

_Just like he had._

'Cheer up, tantei-san.' Haibara said inside the cab, taking in Conan's flat face. 'You'll get to meet her again soon enough.'

'I know that. But it feels like I am leaving her…again.'

Haibara shrugged and looked out of the window. They sat like that for some time, the only noise being the car's rhythmic hum. They got off at the airport and Conan paid the driver.

'Do ya need any help, children?' The driver asked them. 'If you must ask me personal opini'n, kids are becumin' independent too quick these days.'

They politely declined his offer and entered the air-conditioned premises.

'See you.' Conan said.

'Aw shucks, you're making me cry.' Haibara said with a smirk and headed towards the Ladies' Washroom with a packet of spare clothes. Conan smiled behind her opened the door of the Men's. So what if he was only returning for 6 months? He would make the most of it and carry on with his plan. That is, if Haibara cooperated. He entered one of the cubicles, stripped down and refitted himself with oversized clothes. He slipped the bi-coloured pill into his mouth.

Heat. His bones…liquefying and resizing? It was followed by a freezing feeling shooting through the marrow of his bones. In intense pain such as this, staying conscious was nothing more than a fantasy.

Half an hour later, a teenager with dark hair and cobalt eyes stepped out of the washroom, a huge grin plastered on his face. Shinichi Kudo was back. He spotted a young foreign looking woman waiting outside with slight irritation marring her face.

'Took you long enough.' She said.

'Ha-Haibara?' Shinichi said disbelievingly.

'Er…who? I am Miyano, remember? Clueless.'

'You look good.' That was just an understatement. She was what you called ravishing, he supposed. Strawberry blonde hair framed her perfect face with unblemished skin. Her eyes were a wonderful turquoise in colour, and it looked even better in her grown up form. With looks like those, his plan would succeed beautifully.

Haibara lifted her eyebrow a fraction of a centimeter. 'Stop hitting on me, Mr. Playboy.'

Ouch.

'I-eh-I am so _not_ hitting on anybody.'

Shiho rolled her eyes. 'Suit yourself.' She left him standing there and walked off without a backward glance.

Shinichi grinned once again. Her looks had changed, but she was still the same person.

_The same arrogant little Ai Haibara. _

He caught up with her outside in the middle of hailing a cab and pulled her aside.

'Listen,' Shinichi offered, 'why don't we take a walk? It's beautiful out here, far better than a dingy old car, ne? There's a mall nearby.'

'Your treat?'

'My treat.'

**

* * *

Okay. I know this is SHORT, but this is all I could come up with in the limited time my mom allotted me. I only have one request for you people- PLEASE REVIEW! All kinds of ideas, thoughts, suggestions or criticisms are welcome.**

**There's a favour I want to ask- can any of you tell me "no" in as many languages as possible? Specify the language too, if possible.**

**Review for continuation.**

…


	3. Proposal

**Thanx to-**

3aboOorah

amelia

Enji86

ShihoShVG

YELLOW JACKET PRIDE

YuukiChan95

**

* * *

The Girlfriend Act**

**3. Proposal**

'I'll have something to drink. Coffee?'

'You heard her. A coffee for the lady and the same for me, please.'

'Of course sir. Right away. Any topping?'

'Uh, none, thank you.'

The waitress bowed and went away.

'So,' Shinichi said, 'what will you do now?'

Shiho looked up from her new Blackberry (courtesy-Shinichi Kudo).

'I don't know. Start attending school, I guess.'

Shinichi chuckled.

'What's so funny?' Shiho asked, miffed.

'Nothing…It's just that the thought of you attending school…is weird. I thought you were above school.'

'That I am. Truth to be told, I never went to high school. It was just private tuition in the organisation. They taught us things way beyond the normal level, and I passed out of University at the age of 15. Under a false identity, of course. But I always wondered how it would be, being a normal person for once.'

This was it. The conversation had been started, and now was the time to ask _the _question. Shinichi cleared his throat.

'Erm…can I ask you something?'

'Ask.'

'Etto…Can you…I mean, will you-'

'Just spit it out already. I don't have all day to listen to a mumbling detective.'

Shinichi fidgeted under Shiho's gaze. 'Don't be mad, okay? Will you-'

He was interrupted by the waitress bringing their coffees. She gave him a flirtatious smile and her hand lingered on the table a bit too long before leaving.

Shiho sighed. 'I don't get what women see in you.' She took her cup and placed it to her lips.

Shinichi took this opportunity to ask _the _question. Miyano's hands were occupied, and so was her mouth. She couldn't attack him physically or verbally even if she wanted to. He took in a gulp of air and said at once-

'Willyoubemygirlfriend?'

Shiho choked on her coffee and her hand shook, spilling the dark liquid all over herself. Shinichi got up hastily and patted her back till her coughing subsided. He offered her a napkin to wipe herself. She snatched it from his hand without even a thank you.

'What?' she asked incredulously after her coughing subsided.

'I said, will you be my girlfriend?' Shinichi said with more courage than he felt.

She stared at him like he had suddenly grown an extra head or something.

'Playboy.' She finally muttered.

'No! It's not that!' Shinichi waved his arms around helplessly. 'I am dead serious. Listen to me first-'

'Before you say another word, the answer is no. Non. Nein. Na. Bù. Latu. I can say it in 20 other languages if you want. I will not romantically involve myself with anybody, least of all you.'

'No no no, listen. It's for Ran.'

Ran. That got her attention. The otherwise cold scientist had a soft spot for the Mouri girl.

'What about her?'

'See. The thing is that I agree with what you say. I can go and live my life as Shinichi for 6 months and then disappear suddenly. But the problem lies with Ran. I don't have the courage to tell her that I am Conan. I came up with a plan. If I return, and make her hate me, despise me, then she won't be hurt when I am gone. She won't cry.' Shinichi paused for a while, trying to control his emotions. 'I thought that if I had a girlfriend, she would forget about me. So I need you to pretend to be my girlfriend, at least in front of her.'

'Hm. So basically you want to _not_ hurt her by _hurting _her.'

'Hurt because of hatred is much less painful than that that of love.'

Shiho gave an irritated tch. 'You do know that she's been waiting for you all this while. All this while, you promised her that you were coming back. Don't you have _any_ idea how _she_ will feel if you turn up with some other girl?'

Shinichi began to lose his patience. 'Well, all this bullshit wouldn't have happened if it weren't for _you._'

'Oh. So now it's _my_ fault that _you_ decided to poke _your_ nose where it did _not_ belong?'

'It's my job. That's what detectives do.'

'It's my job.' Shiho mimicked. 'That's what scientists from evil organisations do.'

They glared at each other for a while.

'Did I mention how much I hate you?'

'Same here. Even I hate myself.'

Shinichi sighed. 'You can't see my plan from my perspective, can you?'

'Yes. Yes, I can.'

'Then why won't you help?'

The woman opposite to him made a show of studying her nails. 'Well, there's the payment for one thing. I charge by the hour.'

'You do realise you sound like a prostitute?' Shinichi muttered under his breath, loud enough for Shiho to hear. She threw the coffee soaked tissue at his face. He ducked and laughed.

'Okay, fine. _Please._ It's a request. I'll give you whatever you want.'

'Whatever?'

'Whatever.'

'Very well then. I want to die. Can you give me death?'

Shinichi didn't know whether she was just pulling his leg or not.

'Anything apart from that.'

The bio-chemist sighed. 'New clothes.'

'Okay.'

'And repeat after me.'

'Go on.'

'I, Shinichi Kudo, am...' Her eyes twinkled for a moment. '...am a spoilt little insecure sissy who regularly needs to spew out deductions in order to...erm... feel confident about himself, not realising that my words mean nothing more than a common gay donkey's.'

'I, Shinichi Kudo, am a spoilt little insecure sissy who regularly needs to spew out deductions in order to feel confident about himself, not realising that my words mean nothing more than a common gay donkey's.' He repeated, with a straight face.

Shiho was actually shaking from suppressed laughter. 'You are serious about this, aren't you?'

Shinichi saw a thin ray of hope peep out from behind the thick grey clouds of defeat. 'Yeah. So, do you agree?'

'No.'

The dark clouds of defeat shut out the thin ray.

'Aw, come _on._'

'No.'

The two teenagers didn't see a blonde foreigner eyeing them from a few tables away.

'So _this_ is Shiho Miyano.' He said with a satisfied grin on his face. ' Aka Sherry. I finally get to meet her.'

**...**

**Over with this (slightly funny, hopefully?) chapter. And who is the mystery man?**

**Oh, and did you know the full form of "aka" is Also Known As? Got to know it today when I went to the synonyms option in Microsoft Word.**

**Review for continuation….please?**


	4. Grandchildren

**Thanks,**

**random fan**

**amelia**

**humilityhehe**

** Enji86 **

**haibaraai4869**

**ShihoShVG **

**YELLOW JACKET PRIDE **

* * *

**The Girlfriend Act**

**4. Grandchildren**

He was out on a date with Ran. She looked pretty wearing a strapless turquoise dress that ended right above her knees.

Turquoise, just like the eyes of a certain Shiho Miyano.

Ran gave him one of her little smiles, and Shinichi couldn't help feel a little guilty.

She fell into a huge cup of coffee and drowned. Somewhere, a donkey started braying.

'Wha-?' Was all Shinichi could manage before out of nowhere, a waitress jumped on him and tackled him to the ground. His parents materialized, wearing ridiculously large lab coats and started waving those tiny bells that English nobles used to summon their butlers during teatime.

Shinichi woke up and stared unfocusedly at the dark ceiling.

'That was one heck of a dream.'

He couldn't possibly go to sleep after that. He checked the time. 3:26 am. School started today. He slipped on a bedroom robe and decided to go and see what was on TV.

'Hey.'

He wasn't the only one awake. Shiho was sitting with her feet up on the couch in front of the TV, flipping through the pages of a magazine from ages back. She acknowledged his presence with a slight nod of her head.

'Couldn't sleep?'

Shinichi told her about his dream/nightmare.

'Fertile imagination.' She muttered.

Shinichi stuck out his tongue. 'What about you?'

'Don't. Even. Ask. I guess having weird dreams is a side effect of the antidote.'

'What happened?'

'No.'

'Tell me.'

'No.'

'Ooooh Miyaaaano.' Shinichi whined. 'Purleeze! Tell me.'

She shot him a murderous glare.

Shinichi grinned. Lately, whenever he spent some time with her, he enjoyed himself. A lot. Now that he thought about it, it could be because she was the first girl he'd known who could keep up with him. Oh, and before he forgot, 'Well? Did you think about what I asked of you? Will you help me?'

Before she could reply something, predictably not in the affirmative, the doorbell rang.

_Ding-dong!_

Shiho checked the huge grandfather clock. Nearly one o'clock.

'I'll go get it.' Shinichi offered, wondering who in their right minds would decide to drop in at this hour. He opened the door and came face to face with-

'Mom? '

'Shin-chan! I'm so glad to see you!' Yukiko Kudo enveloped her only son in a large hug. 'Your daddy had some work in Japan, so I decided to drop by and give you a…'

Yukiko trailed off, placed her hands on her hips and said,

'Well. Well. I thought that I'd give you a surprise but now you've given me one! Who knew my Shin-chan had become all grown up?'

Something in her voice didn't sound appealing to Shinichi. He turned back to see what his mother was seeing.

He spotted Shiho standing behind them, looking at the scene with mild interest. More accurately, he noticed the fact that Miyano was wearing one of _his _old shirts and shorts. And he happened to be wearing a robe, not pajamas or anything.

He groaned. Damn his mother and her reckless chain of thoughts. The only reason Miyano was dressed like that was because while buying her new clothes, they had simply forgotten to buy something that could be worn at home, like a couple of sweatshirts or shorts, for example. And he was wearing a robe because…

Wait. Why was he wearing a robe, again? And now that he noticed it, Miyano had unbuttoned her first two buttons.

Which were _not_ undone a few moments ago.

Shiho smirked. 'Well then,' she said in a slightly breathless voice, as if she had been in the middle of something _exciting_, 'come back to my room as soon as you are finished, alright? See you soon, mom.'

She turned and went.

Yukiko gave him a knowing smile. 'She's a really beautiful . Looks intelligent too. And she called me mom. What a perfect girl. She's a good catch, I'll tell you that. She looks a bit familiar…where have I seen her before?'

'Mom. She's-'

'Anyway, Shin-chan, I shouldn't impose now, should I? Be sure to use birth control, though I wouldn't mind grandchildren.'

Shinichi was horrified. More than he had ever been in his entire eighteen years of life.

'Mom! Would you _please_ listen to-'

'Sayonara, Shinichi. Remember what I said about birth control!'

She promptly walked away, shutting the door behind her. The detective stared glumly at it for some time.

And then,

'**SHIHO MIYANO!**'

Outside, Yukiko looked into the starry sky. To be young and in love.'

* * *

**Bit off topic, I know. Just wanted to put it in for a bit of comic relief, before the story takes a bit of a serious turn. Wordsworth defined poetry as "the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings arising from emotions recollected in tranquility."**

**I define this chapter as "spontaneous overflow of lamely perverted feelings arising from emotions recollected in extreme boredom (ie, my 3rd language, French, classes at school.)"**

**Umm…**

**Review for continuation?**

**If you don't...well, I can understand, cuz...**

**I FIND THIS CHAPTER STUUPID.**

***emo-cornered***

**(for those who don't know what emo-cornered means, it's when people sit and sulk in a corner, with that dark blue aura of over melodramatic hurt hovering over them)**


	5. I Do

**For Ran fans- Please don't lynch me. Ran may seem a bit OOC in this fic; I don't pay much attention to her when I watch DC. All suggestions/corrections are welcome about how she should behave/be.**

**Thanks to**

**YELLOW JACKET PRIDE**

**lemonapple27**

**kudoshiho-chan**

**Enji86**

**ShihoShVG**

**humilityhehe**

**lindaeclere**

* * *

**The Girlfriend Act**

**5. I Do**

* * *

Ran and Sonoko walked into their home classroom amidst excited shouting.

'…new…'

'…more than one of them…'

'…a girl and a boy…'

'…overseas…'

'What's going on?' Ran asked her best friend.

'Wait. I'll ask.'

Using her loudmouthedness to her advantage, Sonoko got to the middle of the chaos and _demanded_ that somebody tell her what the noise was about. She returned a few minutes later, bursting with excitement.

'Ran! You _gotta_ know this!'

What she _gotta_ know, Ran did not get to know because at that moment their teacher chose to enter. He wasn't too old - somewhere around his late twenties- and was more like a friend than a teacher.

'Settle down, students. Settle down.'

The air was filled with expectation. Apparently, the teacher noticed it too.

'Ah yes. Before we start, I would like to tell all of you something. We have two new students joining us this semester. Be sure to treat them well and make friends, okay?'

There was a chorus of 'Yes, sensei!'

'Okay. So students, please enter.'

The door slid open and a girl and a boy walked in. Ran did a sharp intake of air. She knew the boy.

* * *

'Introduce yourselves, please.'

'Good morning.' The girl began in soft, clipped tones. 'My name is Shiho Miyano…'

The entire class waited for her to say something else.

Some random bird chirped outside.

Nothing came. So much for her introduction.

The boy spoke up.

'My name is Hakuba Saguru. I've recently moved into Japan from England, but believe me, I _am_ Japanese. Partly, anyway.' Some of the girls giggled. 'I know I may be a bit...different from the rest of you, but hope we can be friends.'

'Wow. He's cute. And foreign.' Sonoko whispered.

Ran nodded. 'I know him,' she whispered back. 'He's also a detective. A bit like him.'

_Him. Shinichi._

After the introductions were over with the teacher asked them sit to wherever they wanted. Shiho walked down the aisle with single-minded purposefulness, ignoring the welcoming looks her classmates were giving her and took a chair at the end of the class, next to the window. Hakuba did the same, the only difference being that he acknowledged the others in the class and took the seat beside her.

'Sheesh. Who does she think she is?' Sonoko whispered angrily. 'Ignoring people like that.'

'Maybe she just feels uncomfortable in new surroundings.' Ran offered.

'Yeah, but that's no reason to behave as if she's got something particularly foul smelling under her nose. Something about her doesn't seem right.'

'It's just your imagination acting up.' Ran said good-naturedly, although every cell of her body screamed at her to agree with the Suzuki heiress. Something about Shiho Miyano told her that she was bad news.

'I'm sure it's nothing.' She said.

Their teacher did a roll call and was about to leave, when Shiho interrupted him.

'Azume-sensei. You shouldn't leave just yet. Today's centre of attraction has finally turned up, after all.'

Azume shot her a quizzical glance, which turned into slight surprise. 'You knew-?'

At that precise moment, the door slid open and a tired looking boy with dark, uncombed hair literally crash-landed inside the classroom. If there was ever something called deafening silence, the entire class experienced it then.

Ran's breath hitched in her chest and she curled her shaking fingers into a fist.

_It can't possibly be…_

'Shinichi Kudo,' Azume said, looking at the newcomer disapprovingly, 'I didn't expect you to be this late, considering how eager you were a few days back.'

'Sorry, sensei.' Shinichi mumbled sheepishly. 'I just got up.'

He dismissed his student with a wave of his hand. 'Don't let it happen again, okay?' After making some changes in the attendance register, he left.

Shinichi covered the last few steps with the likeliness of a drunkard and collapsed on the seat in front of Shiho. He was instantly surrounded by people showering him with questions. Sonoko fought her way through the crowd, dragging a light-headed and heavily blushing Ran behind her.

'OI KUDO!' She bellowed into his ear. 'HOW _DARE _YOU IGNORE YOUR WIFE?'

'I'm not his wife.' Ran protested.

'SO WHAT? YOU WILL BE SOON ENOUGH!'

'SONOKO!' Ran squealed.

Shinichi finally erupted with the force of a volcano. 'Are you fatheaded enough not to notice when a guy's got a blinding headache? So, do you MIND keeping it down? Thank you.'

For the second time in the past 10 minutes, there was a deafening silence. Not only had the otherwise cheerful Shinichi snapped, but that too at Ran.

Ran gave a little exclamation when she saw Shinichi's face. 'What happened to you?' He looked terrible. There were dark circles under his eyes, looking at his cheeks it was evident that he had fallen asleep on the floor, his hair was disheveled, his tie was missing and his buttons were done up all wrong.

'Ask this to the person who kept me awake all night.' Shinichi turned around abruptly to face the teenager sitting behind him.

'Who, me?' Hakuba asked, pointing to himself, puzzled.

'No, stupid. The culprit knows that she's the one I'm talking about.'

_She?_

'Excuse me, Kudo?' Shiho said in her soft, clipped tones. 'How's it my fault that you didn't get to sleep? It's not my fault that you wasted my time by screaming at me.'

'Wasted your time? It wouldn't have happened if you never did…_that_. Plus you didn't bother to wake me up for school. And on top of that, you go around-' he pointed to her tie, 'you go around stealing _my_ tie?'

_Wake him up?_

'It's your fault. You forgot to buy me one.'

'Come on! A guy can make a simple mistake! Is that how you repay me? I feed you, clothe you, and pay for you. I let you live under my roof.'

'Did you expect me to live on it?'

'You eat my salt.'

'I'm doing you a favour. With blood pressure like yours, your doctor has probably forbidden you to have any.'

'It was a figure of speech!'

'Tch. Can't you take a joke? I was just fooling round yesterday. If I'd know you'd take it like this…God. I'm sorry.'

Despite himself, Shinichi grinned. 'Did you just apologise?'

Shiho looked irritated. 'I did not.'

'You did! There's no need to be humble about it, Miyano. I know I heard you say "I'm sorry".'

Ran had been listening to this conversation with growing apprehension. Shiho knew Shinchi? And it sounded as if they knew each other rather well. Too well, in fact. Well enough to let her stay in his house.

'Whoa whoa whoa.' Sonoko said, butting in. 'You guys know each other?'

Shinichi scratched the back of his neck. 'Yeah, somewhat. We met on a case in America. Her skills have come in handy. Miyano said that she'd be moving into Japan.' He hesitated and glanced at Miyano. This was the story they'd decided upon to tell everybody. He just hoped that she wouldn't blow everything up, just for the sake of spiting him. Thankfully, she didn't say anything.

'You live together?' Ran asked quietly. 'In the same house?' _Alone?_

Shinichi nodded, speaking for the first time to Ran. 'Uh-huh. Like I said, she needed to come to Japan and didn't have a place to stay.'

'And, naturally, Kudo here offered me his place.' Shiho interjected, also speaking to Ran for the first time. ' He did not do anything wrong now, did he?'

'Like a live-in relationship?' Somebody screamed, followed by wolf-whistles and cat calls. Unnoticed by everybody, Hakube looked at Shiho and gave a slight smirk, stretching his lips for barely a second.

_A live-in relationship?_ Ran thought. _At least he didn't agree…neither did he disagree._ Shinichi surely wouldn't forget about her so soon, would he? Something deep and ugly stirred in the depths of heart, something totally against her true nature. She knew she was being prejudiced, but right now, she hated that Shiho Miyano more than anybody, or anything, else in the world.

* * *

Shinichi jogged the last few metres across the football field, towards the strawberry blonde. They had PE in the last period and school was over for the day. Much to his amazement, people had actually started cheering when he had turned up at the field. While playing, nobody could accuse him of showing off; he was merely giving the people what they wanted.

'How'd I do?' He'd wanted to show her how he really played as a teenager, considering she seemed to know bits about football. 'Pretty well, if I say so myself.'

He caught the towel that Shiho tossed at him. He glanced at it. 'Okay.' He frowned. 'What gives?'

Shiho sighed wearily. 'Don't you know? According to most anime, the girl waits under the sun for the boy while he plays, marveling at his handsomeness, skill, etc etc. And when the game is over, she oh-so-shyly hands over a towel to him, a look of bliss crossing her face while he wipes his dirty, stinking_ sweat_ in it, thereby expressing her true feelings. Admittedly, for some reason, the guy always plays baseball.'

'And the girl "oh-so-shyly" hands him the towel, among other things.' Then the significance of Shiho's gesture hit him. He felt as if spring had suddenly popped into his life in the middle of October.

'Miyano!' He ejaculated, beginning to do the steps of a particularly complex spring jig. 'Are you saying-'

The rest of his jig and words were stopped by the sudden arrival of Hakuba Sagure.

'Shiho-san,' he said, 'May I borrow you for a moment?'

'_No_, Hakuba, you may not.' Shiho said with slight irritation. 'As you can see, I'm conversing-'

Hakuba tugged her arm. 'It's urgent. Sensei wants…'

'It's okay, it's okay.' Shinichi was feeling extremely kind to his fellow beings and the whole wide beautiful world all of a sudden. 'You can go. I'll wait here.'

Hakube led Shiho away. Shinichi grinned and mopped his brow with the towel. Everything was just right. Parting with Ran wasn't as difficult as he had imagined. He had mentally prepared himself for this moment ever since he had shrunk, after all.

He paused. Wasn't the school building the other way? Then why had the two of them gone that way?

He shrugged. _Whatever, _he thought, running his fingers through his slick hair.

Around twenty minutes later, Miyano returned. Something was wrong with her. Not wrong...but different. Her body language. She was biting her lower lip- something that Shinichi had never seen her do. It was one of the most obvious signs of nervousness or/and thoughtfulness.

'Hakuba...he...' She said meditatively, loud enough for Shinichi's sharp ears to catch it.

'What's wrong?' He asked.

Shiho shook her head. 'Nothing.' She rearranged her expressions, donning her usual poker face.

He shot her a quizzical glance. Then the thoughts of more immediate importance pushed his other thoughts away. A very bad thing, as he would realise later.

He resumed his spring jig.

'So. You wanna be my girlfriend?' He sang.

She smirked. 'I do.'

* * *

**There. Longer chapter.**

**And about the football thing. I don't care if you call it "soccer". I called it football, call it football, and will continue to call it football till I die (which, hopefully, I won't be doing anytime soon). The name of the organisation that governs the sport is called FIFA, not FISA. But you can read it as soccer, if you feel like.**

**Anybody heard the song 'Melody' (acoustic version) by Funkist? Please do. I LOVE that song...and I'm not being poetic, but listening to it (even though I don't get more than one-tenth of the song as it's Japanese) causes such deep emotions to well up in me.**

**Review, please.**

**Especially if you want it to continue.**

**Oh, and first my MT1 (Mock Test 1) is starting from the 2****nd**** week of Feb, then my MT2, and then, finally my SA2 (Summative Assessment 2). All this gets over in March, so unfortunately maybe no update till then. Except my SasuHina fic. This is sheer torture. Someone please write a letter to Amnesty International for the violation of basic Human Rights and Child Labour. I could, but I have to study.**


	6. Strike One

**Whew! Finally updated.**

**Thanks to YELLOW JACKET PRIDE, 3aboOorah, Enji86, bobo doll, Calll Me Anonymous, Anime Lady PIMP, ShihoShVG, Xeimiel'Ai, Krish, Rianan, random fan for all your reviews.**

******Xeimiel'Ai- First name basis, eh? Admittedly, typing Shiho is way easier than typing Miyano, but I won't do that. Not now, at any rate. Maybe Shinichi can come up with a nickname for her. Any suggestions?**  


* * *

**The Girlfriend Act**

**6. Strike one**

* * *

'So. You wanna be my girlfriend?' He sang.

She smirked. 'I do.'

Then he stopped and narrowed his eyes suspiciously. 'What's up in the 180 degree change in attitude?'

They walked towards the school building.

'Oh, you wouldn't believe the questions most guys were asking me. And even some girls. All of them went along the lines of whether I was single or not. If I'd known that high school was such a dangerous place, I'd never agreed to come.'

They took out their proper shoes from their respective lockers and put them on.

'Don't get the wrong idea.' She continued. 'I'm doing it just to protect myself.'

'It's basically like "you scratch my back and I scratch yours", ne?'

Shiho shot him one of her looks. 'Eugh. Gross.'

Shinichi laughed.

They briskly made their way out of the premises. Shinichi wanted to put as much distance as possible between Ran and him, as quick as possible. Contrary to popular belief, he had seen her face when somebody had screamed the words "live in relationship". It was blank and cold, a lot like Miyano's.

A lot like Miyano's. That had sent him thinking. If Ran's face had been like Miyano's, it could mean that Miyano always felt the same feelings that Ran had been feeling. It was quite simple, really.

Ran's expression= Miyano's expression.

Ran=Hurt and sad.

Therefore, Miyano=Hurt and sad.

Then he had remembered "Haibara's" feelings on the day she told him that there would be no permanent antidote. The feeling of becoming suicidal.

Shinichi's brain had processed these thoughts in the time taken for their first period's teacher to enter and get the class settle down. It was during this that he had got his priorities right.

Priority one- To successfully execute his plan.

Priority two- To make the next six months the most enjoyably memorable months of her otherwise rough life.

…

Ran waited near the gates. She was sure that Shinichi would pass by from here, then she would tick him off good and proper for disappearing off to god knew where. And then maybe, just maybe, he would, for a moment take his eyes off that Miyano girl and stop ignoring her.

She saw him come near the gates. With _her._ She raised her hand to wave it, as a 'hi'. Despite herself, a grin formed itself on her face. Her Shinichi would always be _her_ Shinichi, even if he had decided to strike up a friendship with some Anglo-Japanese girl.

Her smile petered off and her hand fell limply to her side as she saw Shinichi laugh and that woman shoot him a dirty look.

No. She was wrong. Why would Shiho shoot Shinichi dirty looks? Yes, that was it. The one who Shiho sent that murderous glare to was none other than herself, Ran Mouri.

It never occurred to her that she could be wrong.

Ran felt her stomach give a lurch and the ugly feelings in her heart overwhelm her as she saw Shinichi Kudo and Shiho Miyano leave the premises, their shoulders knocking into each other as they walked.

…

Library, Kudo Residence

'Hey.'

Shiho looked up from her book on organic chemistry. Shinichi was leaning down from the gallery above.

'What?'

'I'm going for a walk. Coming?'

She looked at the clock. 'Now?'

'Nobody's forcing you to come.' He said, turning away.

Shiho got up and stretched herself. 'Wait. I'll go get an overcoat or something.'

They met two minutes later near the front doors. Shinichi shut them with a soft click and looked at her. He had never realized that anyone could look so good in a coat. No, not good. Pretty? Nah. Handsome was the perfect word for her.

'Have the key?'

'Yeah.' He patted his pocket. 'Please. After you.' He added, with an over-exaggerated flourish of his arms.

'Why, thank you, Mr. Kudo.' She said, walking briskly past him. He followed in suit and fell into step with her.

'I need to get some supplies,' he said conversationally. 'The fridge is empty.'

'Going to the nearest supermarket, then?'

'Hn.' Shinichi smiled. He liked fresh air, especially at night. It helped him think.

They walked side by side in companionable silence. Shiho was the first one to break it.

'I've been thinking.'

'About?'

'This whole pretend girlfriend business.'

'You're not pulling out.'

'No. I meant what we will do as a -' she made air quotes ' – as a "couple". No kissing.'

Shinichi poofed up his cheeks and pretended to puke. 'Oh, the horror of it.'

'No hugging. No holding hands.'

'No sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad made to my mistress' eyebrow?' He asked.

'Shakespeare?'

'Yeah. Act 2, scene 7 from "As You Like It."'

'Exactly. None of that sappy stuff.'

'Then what-car incoming- It's not like I _want_ to compose love songs for you, but then what are we supposed to do?'

'I don't know.' She shrugged. 'Take this, for example. Girl and boy walking alone at night. Full moon casting it's silvery veil over everything. Sky glittering with stars. Height of romanticism, I'd say.'

'Ran's not here to see it.' Shinichi grumbled. 'Come.'

They entered the convenience store. It was empty, apart from an old lady watching some soap with lots of crying by the counter and half empty racks of whatever it was they sold in convenience stores.

They moved to the back of the store, to the frozen foods section. An even humming sound filled their ears. Shiho broke off a tiny icicle and watched it melt in the warmth of her palm.

'I'm not cooking anything, so I guess we have to make do with this unhealthy stuff for a while.'

Shinichi peered into the freezers. 'Everything here is expired…or…well, expired. Oh wait. This is still eatable.' He fished out a frozen carton of soy milk. 'What's this even doing here?'

Shiho gave a little shriek. 'Get that away from me! I'm allergic to soy milk.'

'Uh, okay.' He replaced it gingerly. 'There's no need to get so flustered about it.'

Wait. She got flustered?

He gave a loud laugh. 'Awww… you look so _adorable_ when you get flustered.'

'I do not.'

'You do!' he said in childish glee and tried to pull her cheeks. She slapped his hand away.

'I'll show you just how-' she drew closer to him and whispered in his, '-how adorable I can really get.' One of her hands found its way to his and interlaced its fingers with his. Her breath came in little puffs, playing on his lips. He looked into her unusual turquoise eyes. They were challenging him and for a moment he was tempted to kiss her, just to shut her up. After all, two could play at the same game. He leaned in.

So did she, apparently having the same thoughts.

'Oh!' somebody exclaimed and their heads snapped towards the source of the noise.

Strike one.

It was Ran. She stared at them, looking as if she had seen a ghost. No, as a matter of fact a ghost would be considerably less frightening than the sight in front of her.

'I-I…' She stuttered.

'What's wrong, Ran-chan? There were a few footsteps and Yukiko Kudo came into view, followed by Sonoko. 'Hi, Shin-chan, Shiho-chan. What are you doing here?' she saw the compromising position the two teenagers were in. 'Oh.'

Shinichi did not know whether to laugh or to cry. On one hand, by a lucky coincidence, Ran and Sonoko were there. On the other hand, by some _unlucky_ coincidence, his mother of all people was there. Handling this situation was tricky enough, without the old lady jumping into all sorts of conclusions. He hesitated, not deciding whether to continue with the act or drop it altogether.

There was a silence, in which the three newcomers stared at the apparent couple.

Shiho twitched.

'You're holding hands!' Sonoko finally yelped.

'We are?' Shinichi squeezed Shiho's hand, as a silent we-are-doing-great-please-continue-you-can-scream-or-torture-me-later-for-this. 'We are.' His voice rose. 'Yes, we are!'

'And you're still doing it. With another girl. In front of your wife.' Sonoko accused.

'Why wouldn't they?' Yukiko asked. 'I mean, it's the least the can do. I mean, they have been more intimate than this, ne?' she gave the so called "couple" a knowing look.

'WHAT?' Sonoko and Ran yelled.

Shinichi mentally facepalmed. This was going a bit too far for his liking. Almost kissing a girl and being labeled as some sort of playboy were two entirely different things.

Shiho gave him a sickly sweet smile and gripped his hand tightly, trying to dislocate all his fingers.

'Wait-ow-wait! It's a misunderstanding.' He managed to gasp out and tried to explain what had happened.

Tried.

Before he could start, his mother told Ran and Sonoko what she had seen, adding in rather untrue and extremely unnecessary scandalous details.

Shiho managed to dislocate one of his fingers and proceeded on to finger number two. Sonoko shot them a dirty look, true Shiho Miyano style, and walked away, dragging Ran with her.

'What happened to them? Why did they run off like that?' Yukiko wondered.

Shinichi wrenched his hand out of Shiho's grip and rubbed it.

'Mom. _Please_ listen to me.'

She turned to Shiho. 'Hello, dear. This is the first time I've spoken to you, ne?' She giggled like a little girl. 'So. You and Shin-chan. When did you meet?'

'Mom-'

'No, I mean, _where_ did you meet? And how? I want full details.' She hugged Shiho, who seemed surprised at this display of affection.

'Mom.'

'I hope my son isn't boring you with his typical clueless behavior? He's like his father in many ways. Extremely unromantic, but that's what makes both of them so kawai! I'm sure he cares for you. Very much.'

'Mom! Shinichi screamed and tried to get them apart. 'You are suffocating her!'

'Now, now, dear. There's no need to get so overprotective of her. I won't do anything with your girlfriend.'

'I am not his girlfriend.' Shiho finally said.

'What?' Yukiko was shocked. 'Spare a mother's heart, dear. Don't break up with Shin-chan. I know he may be the dumbest, rudest, most arrogant and egoistical man to have walked the earth, but-'

'She's not my girlfriend, obaa-san. And enough of the insults. She's Ai Haibara. You know, the little girl with the cold eyes who in actuality was the evil maniac who was a partner to those other evil maniacs and had made the thing which turned me into Conan?' he then went on and explained everything, starting from her confession to his plan.

Yukiko stared at them. 'Oh my.' She finally said. 'Oh my.' She repeated. 'My gift will go to waste.'

'What gift?'

'Nothing. Never mind.' She said hurriedly and gave a weak laugh. 'I'll be going now. We need to catch our flight.'

'_What_ gift?'

'Bye, Shin-chan, Shiho-chan.' Yukiko promptly disappeared.

For some reason, Shinichi felt as if something bad was going to happen. He put those thoughts aside.

'Okay. So what do we do now? Survive on chocolate?'

Shiho pulled off a bar from the rack. '85% cocoa. I like dark chocolate.'

* * *

**Not one of my greatest chapters, I know.**

**Suggestions, corrections, etc etc welcome.**

**Review for continuation/ discontinuation.**

**Oh, and I'm searching for nicknames that Shiho and Shinichi can use for each other. Any possible suggestions?**


	7. Date

**Thanks to-**

**Anime Lady PIMP, YELLOW JACKET PRIDE, ****haibaraai4869, Enji86, danni98, Xeimiel'Ai, Princess Silverstar, ShihoShVG, conanlovers, waterxeno, PhantomTheif101, rndomfan, Great Detective, OTP, turquoisefleur, Aizawa Li Syaoran Vessalius. **

* * *

**The Girlfriend Act**

**7. Date**

* * *

'I love you, Miyano. I always did and now I confess to you.'

'Of course you do, Kudo.'

'Can I kiss you?'

'No.'

'Hug?'

'No.'

'Pretty please?'

'_No_.'

'OK, fine.' Shinichi took a bite of his chocolate. 'But you do know that you're the best, right?'

'That I do.'

'I mean, we were awesome back there. It was amazing how Ran turned up and-' he grinned, 'Did I mention that I love you?'

'Six times already.'

For once, Shiho was truly happy, even though she would never express it. It felt nice to walk like this, talking and professing their "love" for each other. It made her feel nice, and gave her a sense of belonging.

Her mood soured a bit when she remembered that this happiness came at the cost of Ran's sadness, the person she looked up to as a surrogate sister.

_Surrogate sister when I was Haibara. Now she probably hates me for apparently snatching away Kudo from her._

She was a scientist, after all. She knew the way human psychology worked. The human psyche would never blame whatever was near to it as the cause of its problems. It would blame the foreigner in its environment- the foreign body after whose appearance all the problems started.

In this case, the foreign body was she, Shiho Miyano.

Maybe, when all of this got over, and six months passed, she would stay back in Beika and grow up again, with the Detective Boys.

_I need a place to stay._

Yes, she needed a place to stay. Professor Agasa would have been the perfect choice, but now he was dead, murdered. In the end she was nobody, having lost whatever she had.

_No. How can I lose something that I never even had in the first place?_

Her name, Shiho Miyano, given to her by her parents. The clothes she wore, given to her by Kudo. Her identity, her knowledge, her personality, every freaking thing that made her who she was had been given to her by the Organisation.

For the first time, she wondered if life at the Organisation had been as bad as she had thought it to be. Sure, it was tough in the beginning and she had been abused in more ways than one, but had it really been that bad? She had been safe, she had been rich, and she had had authority there. On the other hand, she was a prisoner to her own luxuries.

But... was freedom really worth it all? Didn't she have friends in there?

_Friends._

She did have a friend, right? A friend she had ended up betraying. Her best friend and his family, who could be dead now, all because of her.

Out of the corner of his, Shiho saw Shinichi take another bite of his chocolate.

Shinichi Kudo. The silver bullet. He had grown up in a small, sunny world, diametrically opposite from hers. Yet here they were, together. She gave a dry smirk.

_What will Kudo do if he hears about how I spent my life while he lived here, playing his little detective games?_

A song she – no, they – her best friend and her - used to sing came back to her. 'Si deus me relinquit, ego deum relinquo...'

Shinichi's sharp ears caught her soft whispers. 'Isn't that Latin?' he asked, unlocking the door to his house. 'Let's see...it means...'

'If God has forsaken me, I shall forsake God too.'

'What a dark song.' He commented as he shut the door behind them. 'Though I don't agree with the lyrics. God never really forsakes any of us. He simply makes us think so. And when we least expect it, having lost all faith in God, He does something which makes us regain our faith.

…

Shinichi took in a deep breath. His plan was working smoothly, but he hadn't expected this. Being paired up with Ran, that is.

It had been around a month or so since Shiho had agreed to be his pretend lover. Just as Shinichi had expected, the news of them being a couple had spread like wildfire. The school's most eligible detective and the new hot and mysterious transfer student were dating? That was the topic of every conversation. Also, there was that matter of Ran and Hakuba. The apparently more deserving ex-lover and the other equally cute transfer student who had developed a noticeable friendship with Shiho Miyano. Was it turning into a love quadrilateral of some sort? The students lapped it all up. This was turning out to be better than those boring reality shows. An all out battle between the three most best looking students and the sweetest girl of the school.

Shinichi had to admit, Hakuba was an unexpected figure in his plans. But it didn't matter to him. Miyano could go around making friends with whomever she liked; he didn't care as long as she agreed to play along with him.

Now. Back to the present.

Sensei had given them an assignment- make a project on any environmental issue.

In pairs.

So here he was, in the library of his house, paired up with Ran by some crazy coincidence, and trying to complete their project.

Shinichi exhaled. At least they weren't alone. Miyano and Hakuba had shut themselves in a room and were working away on their project. He wanted to be in that room. Those two braniacs were probably having the time of their lives now.

As for Ran- she had not made a scene about what she had seen the other day, nor had she mentioned anything about it, but there was a marked difference in her behaviour. For the better or the worse, that he was yet to find out.

_Well, whatever._

He reached out for the green marker, and so did Ran. Their hands connected.

It was familiar...the gentle touch he used to pine for...yet so changed.

'I'm coming from the washroom.' He murmured without meeting her eyes and practically ran out of the room, not seeing her fingers shakily close over the place where his hand had been moments earlier.

Shinichi shut the door behind him and leaned back on it, closing his eyes. _Now __**that**__ was awkward. I need to talk to Miyano._

He had neither the heart nor the courage to face Ran without her. He made his way to the room Hakuba and she were working in and turned the knob.

It was locked. He could hear voices from inside and turned. Apparently, they were busy doing whatever they were doing.

_I am not a coward. I should be able to handle this on my own._ Calming his jittery nerves, he re-entered the library to see Ran's familiar head busily poring over their work. They completed the rest of the project in silence...which Ran broke.

'I didn't expect this from you, Shinichi.' Ran said quietly.

'Huh?'

'I did NOT expect this from you.' Ran said, raising her voice. 'I did not expect you to be with another girl to make _me_ jealous.'

_Uh-oh. My plan's backfiring._ 'What are you saying, Ran? Why would I make anyone jealous? I love her. I love Shiho.'

'No you don't! She's casting her net over you to trap you. Can't you see she's using you? She's a witch, a whore!'

Shinichi was stunned. What was wrong with her? 'Think rationally, Ran. In what possible way can she use me?'

'I-I don't know! Maybe she wants your popularity, maybe she wants your money, but she DOES NOT want you, Shinichi. Please try to understand that. Look at her- her face, her eyes, her voice, everything about her is cols, compassionless. I _know_ her type. Please, Shinichi. Listen to me. She'll break your heart. I won't do that.'

'Ran...' His voice stubbornly refused to rise above a mere whisper.

'_I_ have known you the longest, _I _am your friend, damn it! What does she even know about you? What do _you_ even know about her?'

'Precisely, Ran.' Having regained his lost voice, Shinichi started to think that Ran _was_ mildly irritating. 'What do you know about her? Why are you so hell-bent on making me understand who, or what she is? Why are you so hell-bent on telling me who I should love? I can't have you insulting her.' _Not when she's not at fault_.

'What _do_ you see in her?' His childhood crush – or was it _ex_-crush? – looked ready to cry. 'Just because she's intelligent, just because she can entertain you better, you choose her? I heard what Yukiko-san said the other day. If you want even _I_ can – maybe it was wrong of me to think our love could be platonic – if you want, I am prepared to lose my vir-'

'Ran.' Shinichi said in the voice he used with criminals; cold, sharp and precise. She flinched. 'Do you even _realise_ what you're saying? You-'

He couldn't complete what he wanted to say because at that exact moment, Shiho and Hakuba walked in.

'...worry.' Hakuba was telling Shiho. 'I'm there for you.'

The two Anglo-Japanese teenagers stopped and stared at the flushed faces of the two childhood friends/lovers.

Shiho cocked an eyebrow. 'Wrong timing?'

'We should get going,' Hakuba placed a hand on Shiho's shoulder, 'Shiho was dropping me to the door.' He added, answering Shinichi's enquiring look.

_Weird. Since when did she become so caring?_

'Oh. What a coincidence.' Ran stood up rather stiffly. 'I was just leaving too.'

Hakuba immediately detached himself from Shiho. 'Pease. Allow me to walk you home, Ran-san.'

'No, it's fine. I don't want to be a bother.' Ran's eyes flitted from Shinichi's face to Shiho's, and then back to Hakuba's.

'Of course not. I won't be able to forgive myself if I let a lovely lady such as yourself to walk home alone at this time of the night. Call it English courtesy, if you will.'

'I hear she knows karate.' Shiho said.

'Yeah.' Shinichi added cheerfully. 'She nearly sent me, her friend, to the hospital. Heaven knows what she's capable of doing to stalkers.'

Ran was slightly confused. What was he trying to do? Was he being all nice and friendly in front of his _girlfriend_ and pretend that the argument never took place?

Hakuba laughed, pulling Ran out of her thoughts. 'If that is the case, then I suppose it's my obligation to go – I don't want any murders tonight. Don't you agree?'

Ran agreed, much to Shinichi's mental relief, which became verbal as soon as the two guests had left.

'Thank god you came when you did.'

'You were arguing.'

'You heard?' He asked, wincing at the not so nice words Ran had said.

_She's a witch, a whore!_

Those accusations had no base at all! Him and Miyano. Miyano and him. They hardly behaved like a couple. All they did was to spend all their time together – which, admittedly, was what couples did – but it was more like a friendship thing. She never did anything slutty, like wearing kilograms of awful make-up, or wear embarrassingly tiny miniskirts and the like. Yet Ran... first she blamed him, then Miyano, and then him and Miyano. The female mind was a seriously complex thing.

'Only raised voices.' Shiho answered his question.

Shinichi reached a decision, something which he had been thinking for a long time. He needed to prove a point to Ran.

'Go on a date with me,' he said, 'Miya-Miya.'

Shiho twitched. 'Pardon?'

* * *

**Sorry for the late update! Basically, the thing is that I'm in standard X right now and I'll be giving my board exams this next year March. So, I gotta concentrate more on studies to make my intelligent parents proud (they're a real brainy couple, which is sorta depressing).**

**To cut a long story short, I may – I repeat, I **_**may –**_** go on temporary hiatuses at times. Please bear with me. I'll update once or twice each month, starting with the more popular fic of mine (based on the reviews). Once again, I ask you wonderful people to bear with me.**

**On a side note, me and a couple of my friends are going for camping. So, it'll be around 10 to 14 teenagers with no adult guidance, network, internet or pizza. Hope we come back alive.**

**The next chapter will hold something...special?**

**Review for faster updates + continuation!**


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